Bag lock and packing means



Jan. 15, 1963 o. LEFNAER 3,072,986

BAG LOCK AND PACKING MEANS Filed Feb. 6, 1959 za g mun-m-mu-muu FIG. 2a

' OTTO LEFNAER A TTORN E Y5.

Unite States Patent Ofifice Patented Jan. 15, 1963 3,072,936 BAG LOCKAND PACKING MEANS Otto Lefnaer, 4 RoberbBose =Strasse, Stuttgart,Germany Filed Feb. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 792,62 Claims priority, applicationGermany Feb. 27, 1958 5 Claims. (Cl. 24-46) The present inventionrelates to closure devices, fasten ers, and the like, particularly forcontainers, such as bags, sacks, cartons, or the like.

The known means for closing small sacks or bags at their neck consistingof plastic clips or soft metal clasps have the disadvantages that theirdimensions cannot be properly matched to the thic'ness of the neck ofthe respective bag, and that, in addition, their closing or lockingforce is limited. These disadvantages make them particularly unsuitablefor large bags, such as mail bags, jute bags, bags made of reinforcedpaper, and the like. Also, these devices do not permit the bags and thelike to be carried by the bag locking means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new type ofclosing and locking device for any kind of sack or bag, from thesmallest cellophane candy bag up to the largest jute bag, as well as forsecurely tying any type and size of package, carton, and the likewithout knotting.

A further object of the present invention is to provide locking meansthat may be closed by a very simple manual operation, and that may beopened again without destroying the locking means and may thus be usedmany times.

The bag locks and packing means according to the present invention havethe additional advantage that they may be hot sealed and permanentlyclosed to prevent any opening of the respective package other than bydestroying the lock.

The packing and locking means according to the present invention consistof a cord, preferably made of plastic material, along the length ofwhich a plurality of projecting knobs are placed at equal distances fromeach other. According to the invention, these knobs have a rounded orconical profile in one direction, to enable them to slide through a holeor eye, while in the opposite direction the knobs have a substantiallyfiat surface which is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection of the cord.

The end of the packing means or cord facing toward the flattened,vertical surfaces of the knobs has afiat head or strap with one, two, ormore perforations or apertures, the simplest form being a hole or eye ofa substantially circular shape having a diameter preferably slightlylarger than the diameter of the knobs on the cord, so that, with theconical or rounded ends of the knobs pointing forward, the said knobsmay be easily pulled through the eye. Contiguous to this first aperturein the strap are other smaller apertures which may be either circular orof oblong shape. These smaller apertures are connected to the largeraperture by a restricted gap in the strap. These holes on one or bothsides of the large hole or eye are of such a diameter that the stemportion of the knobby cor-d between adjacent knobs may rest therein. Thegap between a small hole and the larger hole may offer a certainresistance to the stems of the cord during the locking process, whichserves to keep the stems of the cord from sliding back into the mainhole or eye.

When using these packing means as a bag lock, the cord is placed aroundthe gathered neck of the bag, then the pointed end of the knobby cord ispushed through the large eye of the strap and the cord is pulled tightlyaround the neck of the bag. Having obtained the proper degree oftightness, the respective cord stem between two knobs is pushedlaterally against the constriction and into the smaller hole. Theprojecting knob adjacent the strap will now assist in preventing thecord from slipping back into the large center hole or eye, since thefiat surface of the knob is pressing against the fiat outer surface ofthe eye portion of the strap.

To provide an additional lock for the cord, its free end may be bent andinserted into the other small lateral hole in the strap past therespective restriction. For this reason, at least one of the lateralsmall holes adjacent to the large hole in the strap of thecord ispreferably given an oblong shape, so that the large center hole will beleft completely open to permit the passage of the knobby cord during thesecond insertion of its end. The closed loop thus formed may be used asa handle.

The free end of the cord may, however, also be inserted into a secondlarger hole in the strap of the cord, located longitudinally furtheroutwardly on the strap. This second hole has also a smaller hole in thelongitudinal direction of the strap and communicating with the largehole via a constricted gap. The cord will be similarly inserted asdescribed above to rest with a stem portion inside the small hole.

The cord is used in a similar manner to tie packages. For this purpose,the cord is first placed around the package just like any other cord toform a first loop, and the cord end is pulled through a large hole inthe strap. The cord is then tightened and pulled into one of the smallerholes through the constriction separating it from the large hole to restwith one of its stems inside and against the edges of the small hole.Then, again using the same procedure as with a normal cord, the knobbycord is wound transversely to the first loop around the package and itsend is again inserted, preferably through the same large hole in thestrap and one of its stems is again inserted, but this time into thefree small hole at the other side of the large hole, with the resultthat the tension in the plastic cord will force the flat surfaces of therespective knobs against the flat surface of the strap, preventing thecord from sliding back and becoming loosened. The remaining free end ofthe knobby cord is then bent around and inserted into the second of thelarge holes in the strap. After pressing one stern portion laterallyinto one of the small holes past the constriction, a large loop will beformed which may be used to hold or carry the package. in this mannerthe packing cord according to the invention functions like a normal cordwith several conventional knots, but only requires a fraction of themanual operations normally needed.

To open the cord for unpacking, the last-applied stem portion of thecord is first pushed out of the small hole past the constriction intothe large hole, through which it will then slide easily since therounded edges of the knobs offer little or no resistance. The sameapplies to the remaining locked stem portions. in this manner the cordmay be loosened within a few seconds without becoming damaged and maytherefore be reused for an unlimited number of times.

In the event that the plastic cord is to be looped sev eral times arounda package, the cord may be provided with a strap with a larger number oflarge and small holes with intermediate constrictions. The individualloops of the cord may thus also be spaced from each other and secured bythe same strap.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the free endof the cord which is to be passed through the holes in the strap with ahook-like portion which has a width and thickness not exceeding thediameter of the knobs and terminates into a pointed end for easyinsertion into the large hole of the strap. By means of this hooked endon one cord and one of the holes in the strap of another cord such cordsmay be coupled to hooked into the strap gether. This permits the use ofseveral standard lengths of packing cords to form one long cord for useon both packages and bags.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from thespecification and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURES l and la show a plan view and a side view, respectively, ofalocking cord according to the present invention, with the central partthereof broken away;

FIGURES 2 and 2:; show a plan view and a side view of the locking cordwith a modified head;

:FlGU-RE 3 shows a perspective view of the locking cord according'toFlGUR-E 2 applied to a bag;

FIGURE 4- shows a perspective view of the locking cord according toFIGURE 2 applied to a carton or package; while FIGURES and 5a show planand side views of a modiiication of a cord endwhich may be used'eltherin the manner as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4 or for being of another cordto obtain a cord of a greater length as indicated by dot-dash lines inFIGURE 5a.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are usedin the various views to designate like parts, and to FIGURE 1 inparticular, reference numeral 1 designates the projecting knobs of thecord and reference numeral 4 the stems between the adjacent knobs. Inthis embodiment, one side 2 of the knobs is of a hemispherical shape,while the other side 3 is fiat, merging with the adjacent stem 4 of thecord via a small beveled edgepor-tion. One knob follows the other, eachseparated from the other by a stern, and each cord is made of a lengthsufficient for tying or locking a particular bag or package. One end ofthe cord has a flat head or strap 5 secured thereto. Strap 5 has alarger hole 6 therein which communicates with an oblong hole 7 at oneside and an opposite circular hole 8. Opposed projections 9 define aconnecting gap between the large hole 6 and the contiguous smaller hole7. Projections Iii define a similar gap between holes 6 and 8. Hole 6 ispreferably made of a size so that knobs 1 on the cord can pass throughfreely. The smaller holes 7 and 8 at the right and left sides of thelarger hole 6 are of such a size that the width of the oblong hole 7 andthe diameter of thecircular hole 8 correspond to the diameter of thestems 4 of the cord. gaps formed by the constrictions 9 and Id,respectively, are of such size that a certain tension or pressure isrequired to compress the resilient material suificiently to pass therespective stems into the small lateral holes.

To obtain a better grip on the strap cord, an oblong handle tinuation ofthe strap.

FIGURE 2 shows end of the packing portion 11 is attached as a conone endportion of a locking cord with a modified strap. In this embodiment, thestrap has two large holes 6' and 12. The large hole 6 of a diameterslightly greater than the knobs communicates at one side with a smallcircular hole 8' and on the opposite side with an oblong hole 7' and itis separated from these smaller holes by constricted gaps; The outer endof the strap has a second large hole 12 which, in turn, communicateswith a circular, smaller hole 13. All of the smaller holes at the sidesof the large holes are again dimensioned so as to preferably fit tightlyaround the respective stems of the cord, preventing the knobs fromsliding through, while the constriction prevents the cord from slippingback into the large hole.

FIGURE 3 shows a locking cord with a strap as illustrated in FIGURE 2applied to a bag. The cord is first passed through hole 6 in the strapand locked in one of the contiguous smaller holes. Its free end is thenpassed through a second large hole 12 and locked in hole 13. Theprojections intermediate the large and small holes prevent the knobsfrom slipping back into and through 14 serves as a hanright angles tothe first loop and then passed again in the strap, whereupon it throughthe same large hole 6' is locked in the other small hole 8'. The freeend of the cord is then bent into a loop and inserted into the hole 12at the free end of the strap and finally locked in the small hole 13 atthe outer end of the strap.

FIGURES 5 and 5a illustr-atea modification of the end of the lockingcord opposite to the end carrying the strap. This end is shaped topermit two individual cords to be coupled together to form one longercord. The stem portion 4' ahead of the first knob is laterally ofisetrelative to the axis of the cord, and its front end is bent upwardly andprovided with an elongated, button-shaped portion 15 so as to form ahook to permit a second cord to be connected thereto by passing thisportion 15 through hole 12 of the strap of the second cord and hookingit into the small hole 13 thereof so that the lower surface of button 15rests on the upper surface of the strap of the adjacent cord.

Packages requiring several loops because of their size require a largernumber of holes in the cord strap, each large hole with its adjoiningsmall holes then permitting one more loop to be passed around therespective package.

The great advantage of the present invention is the fact that thepacking or locking cords may be used for bags or packages alike and thenpractically differ only by the length and the thickness of the knob-bycord itself. The knobs will take the function of many conventional knotsand completely eliminate the need for any knotting of the cord. On theother hand, the bag or package may be unlocked or untied within a fewseconds without causing any damage whatsoever to the locking cord.

By making the locking cords of a variety of different colors, the cordsmay also beautify the respective packages and have a considerableadvertising value. Also, advertising matter or instructions on how tooperate the cord and open the lock may be printed, sprayed or punched onthe flat surface of the strap.

By manufacturing the locking cords of plastic material, such aspolyethylene or polyvinyl chloride, they can be manufactured cheaply andin large quantities, and thus result in the provision ofuniversal-packing means for a great number of purposes.

By using plastic material for the cords, the locking of thecord stems inthe lateral small holes of the cord strap may be replaced, if sodesired, by a hot sealing process, thus providingv a permanent sealwhich cannot be opened without destroying the cord.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, it is understood that various modifications may be madewithin the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention should notbe limited ex cept as required by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible locking cord comprising a plurality of stems ofessentially equal thickness, a plurality of knobcord, each flat sidesurface extending substantially perpendicular to the outer surface ofthe adjacent stem, the other ture, said connecting passage havmg aminimum width smaller than the diameter of each of said stems, saideyelet member consisting of a material permitting it to yiel resilientlywhen under pressure so that, with one end of said locking cord extendingthrough said large aperture of said eyelet member, one of said stems maybe passed from said large aperture between said projections into saidsmaller aperture by resiliently deforming said projections, thusretaining said one stem with the flat side surface of an adjacentknob-like portion abutting against said substantially fiat surfaceportion of said eyelet member.

2. A flexible locking cord comprising over at least a portion of itslength a plurality of stems of essentially equal thickness, plurality ofknob-li e portions of substantially equal diameter connecting adjacentstems, and an eyelet member secured to one end of said locking cord andprovided with at least one large aperture therein with a size at leastequal to the diameter of each of said knob-like portions and with atleast one smaller aperture contiguous to said large aperture of a Widthsubstantially equal to the diameter of each of said stems, each of saidknob-like portions having a substantially flat side surface facing saidone end of said locking cord, each flat side surface extendingsubstantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the adjacent stem,the other side of each of said knob-like portions being contoured so asto permit an easy passage of said knob-like portions through said largeaperture of said eyelet member when said locking cord is tightened, saideyelet member including passage means interconnecting said largeaperture and said contiguous smaller aperture, said eyelet member havinga substantially flat surface portion at least partially surrounding saidsmaller aperture at least one of a group consisting of said stems andsaid eyelet member consisting of a material permitting it to yieldresiliently when under pressure, so that said cord may be applied aroundan object to be secured and with said one end of said locking cordextending through said large aperture of said eyelet member, one of saidstems may be passed from said large aperture into said smaller apertureand retained with the fiat side surface of an adjacent knob-like portionabutting against said substantially flat surface portion of said eyeletmember.

3. A locking cord as defined in claim 1, further comprising a hooklikemember having an angularly bent stem portion connected to the other endof said cord, said hooklike member being adapted to be secured in aneyelet member of a similar locking cord to thereby produce a compositelocking cord of greater length.

4. A flexible locking cord comprising over at least a portion of itslength a plurality of stems of essentially equal thickness, a pluralityof knoblike portions of larger diameter than said stems connectingadjacent stems, and an eyelet member secured to one end of said lockingcord and provided with at least one large aperture therein of a sizeapproximately equal to the diameter of each of said knoblike portionsand with at least one smaller aperture contiguous to said large apertureof a Width substantially equal to the diameter of at least some of saidstems, said eyelet member including a pair of spaced, opposedprojections defining a connecting passage between a large aperture and acontiguous smaller aperture, said connecting passage having a minimumwidth smaller than the diameter of each of said stems, at least one of agroup of parts consisting of said stems and said eyelet memberconsisting of a material resiliently yieldable under pressure so thatwith one end of said locking cord extending through a large aperture ofsaid eyelet memher, one of said stems may be passed from said largeaperture between said projections into said smaller aperture byresiliently deforming a part consisting of resilient material, saideyelet member being provided an additional large aperture and with acontiguous smaller aperture, said eyelet member having additionalprojections defining a gap between said last-mentioned apertures, andanother of said stems being secured in said last-mentioned smalleraperture to thereby form a closed loop adapted for use as a handle.

5. A locking and securing device for bags, cartons and the likecomprising a flexible locking cord having a plurality of stems eachseparated from an adjacent stem by knoblike portions of greater diameterthan said stems, an eyelet member secured adjacent one end of saidlocking cord, said eyelet member being provided with two spaced largeapertures and with a small aperture contiguous to each large aperture,opposed constrictions on said eyelet member defining connecting gapsbetween each large aperture and its contiguous small aperture, one ofsaid stems being secured in one of said small apertures after beingpassed around an object to be secured, and another stem of said cordadapted to be secured in the other small aperture whereby a free loop ofcord adapted for use as a handle is formed.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A FLEXIBLE LOCKING CORD COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STEMS OFESSENTIALLY EQUAL THICKNESS, A PLURALITY OF KNOBLIKE PORTIONS OFSUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DIAMETER CONNECTING ADJACENT STEMS, AND AN EYELETMEMBER SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID LOCKING CORD AND PROVIDED WITH ATLEAST ONE LARGE APERTURE THEREIN WITH A SIZE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THEDIAMETER OF EACH OF SAID KNOB-LIKE PORTIONS AND WITH AT LEAST ONESMALLER APERTURE CONTIGUOUS TO SAID LARGE APERTURE OF A WIDTHSUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF EACH OF SAID STEMS, EACH OF SAIDKNOB-LIKE PORTIONS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SIDE SURFACE FACING SAIDONE END OF SAID LOCKING CORD, EACH FLAT SIDE SURFACE EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE ADJACENT STEM,THE OTHER SIDE OF EACH OF SAID KNOB-LIKE PORTIONS BEING BEVELED SO AS TOPERMIT AN EASY PASSAGE OF SAID KNOB-LIKE PORTIONS THROUGH SAID LARGEAPERTURE OF SAID EYELET MEMBER WHEN SAID LOCKING CORD IS TIGHTENED, SAIDEYELET MEMBER INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED, OPPOSED PROJECTIONS DEFINING ACONNECTING PASSAGE BETWEEN A LARGE APERTURE AND A CONTIGUOUS SMALLERAPERTURE, SAID EYELET MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE PORTIONADJACENT SAID SMALLER APERTURE, SAID CONNECTING PASSAGE HAVING A MINIMUMWIDTH SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF EACH OF SAID STEMS, SAID EYELETMEMBER CONSISTING OF A MATERIAL PERMITTING IT TO YIELD RESILIENTLY WHENUNDER PRESSURE SO THAT, WITH ONE END OF SAID LOCKING CORD EXTENDINGTHROUGH SAID LARGE APERTURE OF SAID EYELET MEMBER, ONE OF SAID STEMS MAYBE PASSED FROM SAID LARGE APERTURE BETWEEN SAID PROJECTIONS INTO SAIDSMALLER APERTURE BY RESILIENTLY DEFORMING SAID PROJECTIONS, THUSRETAINING SAID ONE STEM WITH THE FLAT SIDE SURFACE OF AN ADJACENTKNOB-LIKE PORTION ABUTTING AGAINST SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACEPORTION OF SAID EYELET MEMBER.